Celtic vs Valencia 15/02/19

15 February 2019

An in-form Celtic welcome an unpredictable Valencia team to Celtic Park for the first leg of the Europa League last-32 tie looking to post their eighth successive victory in 2019.

Celtic’s astonishing displays in 2019 have seen them securing seven successive wins across all competitions. In that period, the Bhoys have scored 2+ match goals in every single game, not conceding once in the process. Furthermore, the Hoops boast an outstanding home record this season having clinched 21 triumphs in 23 competitive home outings (W21, D1, L1) although their only defeat came in the Europa League clash with Salzburg. Still, ever since losing to the Austrian team, Brendan Rodgers’ men have been ruthless at home, racking up an eight-game winning run without conceding a goal. Just seven teams have managed to go past Celtic’s defense at Celtic Park this term, while only two scored over 1.5 goals per match.

After a positive sequence in which they’ve secured four triumphs in five competitive games (W4, L1), the Bets seem to have re-established the practice of playing to stalemates. All three of the visitors’ previous meetings across all competitions have ended in a draw, with two of them ending with the identical 2-2 scoreline. Valencia’s disastrous road form during the past few months has seen them pull off only two wins in ten road clashes (W2, D3, L5), with Marcelino Garcia Toral’s players scoring one goal or less on seven occasions in the process. What’s more, the Oranges have failed to keep a clean slate on nine consecutive road trips, conceding 2+ match goals five times along the way.